Notch, the creator of Minecraft, has stated on his blog that he will be releasing the anticipated Pistons update early, but the adventure update will be delayed until “however long it takes”, and will be released as 1.8.
The 1.7 update will contain the pistons that I talked about in another article, which allows for the moving of blocks. A very notable and interesting mod that has infinite possibilities, including traps, harvesters, and secret passageways. Hopefully another update will allow condensation of Redstone into a single block so we don’t have an entire circuit mess up because someone griefed your wall.
The Adventure update is designed to reward players who explore and battle monsters with more than simply their drops and half a healthbar missing. What this means exactly has been kept under wraps altogether, but the fanbase has made many speculations.
Minecraft’s final release which includes the full retail price is, barring a creeper in Notch’s closet, November. If you want it at its current price, you should get it now rather than later.